New Year, new list. Or maybe it’s just a matter of moving old items to a new list, therefore making it a new list of old items. Like carrying over vacation days from last year to this. Use them or lose them.
Anyway, I’ve touted writing goals down to accomplish them, so in an effort to stay true to that resolution, here’s a new list, and we’ll see how it goes. And in not in any particular order, my cut and paste goals:
MOVE.
• Keep on walking. Or wogging – half jog half walk with a little waddle in between. Every day. 10k steps and if it doesn’t happen, don’t beat yourself up, but make them up the next day or the next, but whatever you do, keep moving.
• Yoga. Once a week. Twice if I can make it. Good for the ass, heart, and soul.
• Hike. Explore new places. Bring snacks. Don’t be afraid to get lost.
THINK.
• Listen to The Daily daily. Listen to books on Audible, whenever and where ever. Return the ones that suck, review and recommend the ones I love.
• Turn off the news and Twitter. Or at least mute. I wanna know when Trump goes down, so I’m checking in, but not obsessing.
• Listen to more music more often and turn it up – often. Way up. Music does indeed soothe the savage beast.
• Read the nightstand books that have been piling up. For years. Ten pages a night or until the melatonin, zzquil, or bottle of wine kicks in.
• When people recommend a book, write it down. You won’t remember.
• Volunteer on a regular basis in your town in your state for your people somewhere someplace to make the world better. Or at least more tolerable.
LAUGH.
• Once a week, a day if opportunity presents itself, laugh so hard you snort. Or pee. Or blow coffee out your nose.
• Find the funny every single day. Even the darkest moments lighten up with laughter.
SAY YES.
• If you get invited, go.
SAY NO.
• Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
Oh. I thought it said Say Yes, Say No not Say You, Say Me. My bad. (Your Bad).
WORK.

• Get paid for your intellectual property, ideas, and advice
• Have the confidence of a mediocre middle-aged white man.
• Find two new clients
• Give away more than you promised
• Give it away for free only to organizations who pay it forward with passion
CREATE.
• Write a weekly blog, sucky or not. If you don’t subscribe, please do. I promise not to bombard your inbox.
• Start that other project you’ve been mulling over.
• Submit 25 essays, aim to publish 5.
• Enter blog and/or writing to three contests.
• Take a class, attend a conference, enroll in a workshop.
• Show up and put up at a weekly writing table made of Patty Dann alumni.
LOVE.
• Surround yourself with people who matter, even if they may have four legs and eye cheese.
• Go to boozy brunch with your adult kids. Go anywhere they invite you, even if it means staying up after 10pm or getting up before 5am.
• Write real letters and send them with real stamps to real people.
• Before falling asleep every night, find five things to be grateful. Then ten. Gratitude fuels more gratitude, and more gratitude feeds happiness and happiness inspires power and change.
BE KIND.
• Give people the benefit of the doubt. (Unless hoaxers or racists.)
• Once.
• If they’re dicks twice, delete them from your being. Ain’t got no time for no meanies.
There. That’s my list of what I hope to accomplish in the next year. Pretty vague, but not a bad wish list if I do say so myself. Which I did. Stay tuned.
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